Attracting new patients to your dental practice is an important goal. At the same time, it is worth investing time and attention into your current patient base. They have already experienced your services and will ideally return for their future dental needs. Plus, there is no acquisition cost. They may just need a gentle reminder that you are here and that they need to come in for a visit.
Reaching out to your existing patients can help boost your practice schedule. Once you do, there are essential steps you can take to ensure you keep them engaged and avoid the dreaded no-shows and cancellations. Let’s look at some scenarios and strategies you can implement today.
Key Takeaways:
- It is important to focus on your current patient base and attract new patients to your dental practice.
- Make it easy for patients to book appointments, offering online booking and extended service hours.
- Have processes in place to avoid cancellations and missed appointments by utilizing automated reminders and digital paperwork.
- Provide a virtual waitlist for patients to fill last-minute schedule holes.
- Follow up with patients for routine care and be transparent about pricing to build trust and prevent misunderstandings.
Make it Easy to Book Appointments
59% of adults avoid the dentist due to cost. This is more than any other type of health care. Anxiety, too, plays a part in dental avoidance.
However, one of the forgotten culprits is people being “too busy.” The more difficult it is for patients to book an appointment, the more likely they will avoid your practice or their visit altogether.
We live in a time of convenience where essentially every service is provided on demand at a time convenient for the customer. So, your practice needs to do everything possible to overcome the objection of being busy.
If you do not already offer online booking, now is the time to start. It provides patients with a convenient way to schedule appointments without picking up the phone. This can be especially useful for those who work during regular office hours. Online booking can also help reduce administrative costs and streamline the appointment process.
Additionally, your dental practice should consider providing service during evening and weekend hours. You could connect with a new patient base if you have the capabilities.
If other offices in your area do not provide these conveniences, it will make you stand out even more.
Offer More Rescheduling Options
You are not necessarily straightforward once a patient is booked for an appointment. Things come up, so you will have patients who need to reschedule. That is why you need to have processes in place to avoid cancellations. You can use online bookings, automated emails, or phone calls to follow up when appointments are canceled or changed.
Keep the Patient Experience Digital
If you have patients who have missed appointment reminders or have trouble filling out paperwork, your practice should be digital.
You will be in good company, as 92% of elite dental practices have said they use automated software for bookings, patient messaging, collecting medical information, sending reminders, and making payments.
Provide a Virtual Waitlist
Some patients may put off going to the dentist if they cannot find an appointment time or day that suits them. If you can meet your patients where they are, you are more likely to secure their business. That is where having a digital waitlist helps. Patients can enter their information online and wait to receive a text or email for availability that comes up. This benefits your practice as it allows you to fill last-minute schedule holes.
Follow-up Appointments
Reaching out to patients for follow-up visits is a no-brainer for increasing appointment volume. However, it can be easy to miss. So, you will want to ensure you have a process to remind patients about follow-up care.
Typically, people need oral care every six months or so. Plus, the visits should be allowed under their dental insurance, depending on what limits they have in place.
With the right software, you can automate reminder phone calls or emails for follow-up visits. You can also use your website to show these visits' wait times and real-time appointment availability.
Be Transparent About Price
Patients will generally expect the worst when it comes to the cost of dental services unless they are familiar with their benefits.
Dental providers should be transparent about pricing because it can help put patients at ease. When patients know the cost of a procedure upfront, they can plan and budget accordingly. This can alleviate financial stress and prevent surprises down the line. Transparent pricing also builds trust between the dentist and the patient. It helps to prevent misunderstandings or disputes over billing and payment, which can strain the dentist-patient relationship.
In conclusion, reaching out to your existing patients is a crucial strategy for any dental practice to keep their schedules full and maintain a healthy patient base. You can increase patient loyalty and satisfaction by making it easier for patients to book appointments and reschedule. Dental providers should also have outreach strategies for follow-up appointments. You stand out from your competitors. By prioritizing your current patients and implementing these steps, your dental practice can thrive and grow in a highly competitive industry.
For more tips, get your free guide on how to educate your patients about their oral health.
